I may or may not have an obsession with jars. Months ago, I happened to
run across some absolutely beautiful sea glass containers on clearance at TJ Maxx by "accident". I might have freaked out right there in the middle of the store and acted like a fool because the bottles were $0.99 each and absolutely gorgeous! The best joy can be found in the small things in life, right? For me, it's bottles!
I wasn't quite sure what to do with them, until I stumbled across some information while I was researching Thieves essential oil for respiratory support. I saw that Thieves may also be good for oral health! That sounds pretty NOT bad, right?
Why Use DIY MouthwashI use homemade mouthwash because of the same reason that I make all of my own DIY products: less chemical exposures and more money in my wallet. Not only is this CHEAP (less than $0.50 to make an entire batch), but you know exactly what is in this product!
Did you know that there are little regulations for chemical ingredients like thymol, hexetidine, methyl salicylate, cetylpyridinium chloride, methylparaben and finally alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride
(how do you even SAY THAT!?) Apparently nobody knew how to say it so they shortened it to Benzalkonium chloride which I guess is better, right? Eehhh...
Anyways, these chemicals can do a number of things just check out the
EWG's safety rating ;)
And then there is that whole alcohol debate-- is that bad for you? Let's go ahead and say, "Maybe, probably, yes". It can cause dry mouth, halitosis, and there are some studies which raise concern. So, until their are more studies that show that it's safe-- I think I'll pass!
Have I convinced you? Well, let me try again! It can save you money and health, but also time, too! It literally takes less than 30 seconds to make. 30 seconds!!! That's as much time as it would take to walk down the dental care aisle and pick out a bottle of mouthwash (if you didn't read labels).
How To Make Homemade Mouthwash- 1 cup of Purified or Distilled Water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5-10 drops of Thieves Essential Oil (depends on how strong you want it)
- 4 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
- 2 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil
- Optional: 1 tsp baking soda
- Glass bottle (essential oils can degrade plastic)
Put the salt in the bottle, add the essential oils to the salt, add the water and shake. BAM! Done! Easy right! 30 seconds tops!
I add the essential oils to the salt before I add the water because the salt helps to keep the oils and water from separating (it'll still happen a little bit). You can also use some baking soda if you want a little extra cleaning power, but I use baking soda in my toothpaste so I usually skip that step.
You may want to adjust the ratios of essential oils. Thieves has some cinnamon flavor (which I love) but some people may enjoy peppermint more. You can definitely switch the Peppermint and Thieves in this recipe. In fact, that's exactly what I do for my man-- he is a peppermint fiend! You may also like it the flavor to be stronger or weaker so feel free to use a drop more or a drop less per your tastebuds.
Remember it's very important to use quality essential oils especially when you want to use them for therapeutic value. The regulations are poor for labeling of essential oils so to be labeled as "pure" the companies actually only need 10% "pure" product and the rest can be synthetic additives.
{rolls eyes} So "pure" on a bottle means diddly squat. If you want to know more about essential oils, then please read this
fancy little summary that I wrote.
Psst… it's not fancy. I hope you enjoy this mouthwash recipe! I'd love to know what you think about it.
If you'd like to join my Natural Living Support Group on Facebook please
fill out this form!
Important consideration: Tap water has chlorine, mercury, fluoride, nitrates, and may even contain some carcinogens. I want to avoid all of that so I use distilled or purified instead.
Want more natural ideas for oral health?Mary Vance talks more about the
benefit of Thieves for oral health
Do you want to know more about Essential Oils that are good for oral care and learn about oil pulling at the same time? Check out
this post.
Now that you have DIY mouthwash, do you want some
DIY toothpaste too?
If you'd like to join my Natural Living Support Group on Facebook please
fill out this form!
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Over the last few years I've changed my skin care routine from prescription meds, expensive face creams, and spa treatments to simple DIYs and the results have been amazing! I wanted to scream from the rooftop when DIYs gave me better skin at a fraction of the price of what I was spending.
and some DIY Lavender and Rosehips moisturizer or a Rose Water Spray
with just a little added vegetable glycerin as a moisturizer.
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or Organic beeswax Pellets
(If you get white, some companies use chemicals to bleach them)
)- you can use more coconut oil if you want it softer-- this is a hard recipe which is good for lip balm tubes, too.
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The majority of shampoo bars are all natural and DO NOT contain SLS/SLES (sodium laurel sulfate / sodium laureth sulfate) or other harmful chemicals, but always check the label to make sure! SLS/SLES can cause dry, itchy and irritated scalp. It can also dry out your hair, and contribute to hair loss, especially if you shampoo every day!
